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Category Archives: Designer for Hire

Getting in the DIY spirit and want to hire a designer to bring your project to life? You’ve seen the directory of Designers for Hire, read about a designer you like, and now you’re ready to get started. Even if you’ve never hired a designer before, keeping the three C’s in mind is a good guide: Clarity, Communication and Cost.

Clarity

Knowing what you want is half the project! The more specific you can be, the better chance you will get exactly what you want.

When talking about your idea, sketches, photos, Pinterest boards, magazine clippings and even screenshots of elements you like are all really helpful in communicating what you like. Photos are especially useful whether it be similar items that represent your idea or elements of different objects that you would like to incorporate.

It also helps to be specific about your preferred style, finishing touches and how your completed product will be used. If you know what material you would like the finished product to be made it, that helps immensely, as the 3D printing guidelines vary between materials and may influence the design itself.

If you’re still in the ‘concept’ phase (say if you are designing a new functional product) and are seeking project guidance or inspiration, be sure to choose a designer who has those skills listed as their specialty.

Designers are creative problem solvers. Once you have given them a clear outline of your requirements, let them do their creative thing and come up with creative solutions.

Communication

Designers are experts in bringing ideas to life, and most of this magic happens through effective communication. Throughout the creation process, it’s important to communicate openly and frequently with your designer to ensure that they have a clear understanding of what you want, and you know their schedule. They should be asking you just as many questions are you are listing specifics.

Throughout the process, be honest but polite. If your designer is making something that isn’t going in the direction you were imagining, let them know. Many designers are more than happy to modify their designs as long as they have clear direction. I recommend highlighting what you liked (the more specific the better) and exactly what they need to improve on. Don’t just say “I don’t like the hard edges”. Explain why: “The hard edges make it feel minimalist and modern, I am looking for a romantic, organic feel”. The latter statement is much more useful.

In the end, designers like being able to use their own creative judgment to improve ideas. So while it is important to be specific, leave them some space to work their magic to delight you.

Depending on your project, it may be a good idea to formalize your agreement in writing. This digital contract should include all of the specific details that you and the designer agreed upon, including timing and pricing.

Cost

Which brings us to the last and most important point: Money. Two things to keep in mind here are how much you are willing to spend and understanding the design process.

Part of having clarity around your idea is knowing how much are you comfortable spending. Three things to consider may help you get an estimate beforehand:

1. Finished product or 3D file? Do you want just a 3D printable file that you will upload and order yourself? Or do you want a finished item? Material cost comes into play here – if you want a silver ring, part of the cost will be made up of the silver itself, and part for the design.

2. Time and labor. Larger or more detailed projects can sometimes take more time to complete, and therefore cost more.

3. One of a kind design. If this is a one of a kind item, it’s not something that you could buy in a store even if you wanted to, so the price may be a little higher than you would expect. If you are working on a brand new product, it’s worth investing in a good design. There is really no way to put a price on how incredible it is to hold something that you imagined, so keep that in mind!

4. Similar items.To get a sense of the general cost of an item before you hire a designer, look for similar items and get a sense of the price. For instance, if you want to make a piece of jewelry, browse our jewelry category section to find a handful of custom items that are of a similar size and scope. The average cost of those items is often a good starting point for you to discuss your budget with a designer.

It also helps to understand the process. Designing is a process that takes time and effort. You may not be aware of all of the “behind the scenes” work that takes place including creative brainstorming, sketching, drafts, revisions and renders. Asking your designer about the process involved in making your specific idea will help you understand the level of work involved.

Communication is key here as well! Talk to your designer as some charge by the hour, some charge by project and the complexity of your design will influence this. The more detail you can give them, the better they are able to estimate a price for you.

3D printing gives us the unique ability to make custom things to order, helping you get exactly what you want, and not just what is available. While we at Shapeways do what we can to give access to the best materials at the lowest prices, ultimately the design is what sets a product apart, and this is where the skill lies. Translating an idea into a physical object is a designers skill, and this alchemy is worth paying for!

How you work with a designer comes down to your project but keeping in mind the Three C’s should help you minimize stress and get exactly what you want. Have you hired a designer on Shapeways? Tell us about it in the comments! If you are a designer, what other tips would you offer for potential clients?

Excited by 3D printing, you’ve got an idea but don’t know how to make it? We’re got an ever growing list of Designers for Hire to help you! Sometimes, the best way to get what you really want is to make it yourself, or better yet work with one of our talented designers.

Whether you are looking to make that custom piece of jewelry, have a killer product idea or just need help with getting your 3D file repaired there’s a designer who can make your dream come to life.

We’re adding new designers regularly, and this weeks roundup includes six new faces:

First up, jeweler Kathy Cherry has 14 years experience designing jewelry for brands such as Jessica Simpson, Vince Camuto and Guess. She enjoys challenges and unusual projects, so give her your best ideas!

Urbano Rodriguez is an Art Director, Designer and 3D Modeler at mkt1, a Digital Agency based in Sao Paulo, Brazil and has over 14 years experience. Contact him with your product design ideas like his fun desk urchin.

Justin Armstrong has a degree in 3D Design & Animation and a certification in 3D commercial design. He has worked commercially with well-known companies, like Budweiser, for a over decade and specializes in character modeling.

Jeffrey Keiffer has over five years experience 3D modeling jewelry, architecture models, personal accessories, and other inventions. He specializes in woven or Celtic knot-like patterns, and can help you design specifically for ceramic, metals, plastics and resins.

On the materials note, former Shapeways employee Kat Kinkead has an extensive knowledge of our materials, and can help you with your industrial design projects from jewelry to hardware.

Last but not least, José Miguel has been the 3D content director for Vórtice Digital Media since 2000. His skills cover every step of an audiovisual production, from modeling to rendering. He can help you with portrait modeling and taking your ideas from sketches into 3D.

This is the third in a 10 part Shop Owner Bootcamp series counting down to Black Friday. We’ve covered reputation and photography in our last two posts and are looking at branding and collection building today. This is last post in the polishing your shop for holiday phase, next week we’ll begin talking about building the relationships necessary to optimize your sales over holiday.

Do you ever wonder what to design next? Or what makes a product sell? Do you have a product in your shop that outsells all the others and wish that you could get more products on that level? This week we’re focused on building your brand story and developing your collection through market research. I know that “market research” sounds boring and stale to the creative mind, but it doesn’t have to be! Shapeways Shop Owner mentor Vijay Paul is back this week to discuss how he became Dotsan, and how walking around Scotland inspired his stag and the “wired life collection” that followed.

Building Your Brand: Why it’s Personal (and Should Be)

Vijay highlights in this video how going from VDesign to Dotsan was a big turning point for his business. It was when he realized that this was going to be more than a hobby, and a place that people could come for products and art that he created for them. Many of you have developed your brands and logos, but are you giving your shoppers all of the story?

Every time someone buys something from your shop you have the opportunity to create a new brand evangelist. If they love your work, they’re going to come back to your shop time and time again, likely referring others who are interested in your products. They will expose your products, and in turn your brand, to their in-real-life communities. Ask yourself, have I highlighted my design process and inspiration in my shop? Have I armed consumers with a story they can tell about the creation of this product and increase the likelihood they’ll send others to my shop? If you have to hesitate, take this opportunity to refresh your shop and product descriptions. Your brand should tell your story.

Many of you have already developed great brands, so I challenge you to think about how that can be illustrated through out your shop. Perhaps watermarking your photos or integrating your brand into your avatar. People see your designer cards on every product page now, use that opportunity to remind them how awesome it is to buy from you.

Market Research: It’s as Easy as Going to Look at Beautiful Things

Every successful business has conducted market research at some point in their growth; and if they’re smart, likely multiple times at regular intervals. Vijay knew he wanted to design something that would appeal to a lot of people, and wandering around Scotland he noticed there were Stags everywhere. He saw them in museums, on signs, buildings and iconic Scottish settings. This observation drove his design decisions and gave birth to the Stag, which originally was a 3D render meant to live in 2D. After creating the render he was curious to see if it could work as a wireframe 3D print, I think it’s very clear that it did .

Think about your audience: are you trying to sell to people in your region/country or are you trying to sell to people who like a specific category of things? What is popular in the culture your products speak to? For example, if you are making masks, you should always be up on the latest cosplay fashions. If you’re doing household products, keeping up with industrial design trends can be clutch. If you’re modeling drone accessories, you should pay attention to what drones people are buying. I don’t believe Vijay ever expected to sell as many stags across as many countries as he has, but he went into designing it with the confidence that at least locally, he would receive some interest.

Build Your Collection: Your Best Customer is One Who Buys Again

There’s a famous marketing stat that 20% of your customers will be responsible for 80% of your future business; and Shapeways is no exception. Our marketplace is full of passion, and folks who have a great buying experience from you once are likely to brag about it. How can you keep them coming back? Ask yourself, what other types of things to people interested in your subject matter like? Have you ever asked your customers what other products they think would compliment the one they already purchased from you? Think about ways you can expand the collection and have multiple top-selling products. Our Interest Group forums are a great place to get the conversation going.

Sets are very appealing during the holiday season. Think about which of your products could go together and that could expand the story of your work/brand.

Alright everyone, we’re now just 7 weeks from Black Friday- we’ll be focused on building digital and physical relationships that will help your holiday sales in the coming weeks, so take advantage of the opportunity now to ‘dust the shelves’ and put a fresh coat of paint on your ‘open’ sign.

If you are looking for a 3D artist to bring your ideas to reality with 3D printing, look no further than 3D modeler and all around 3D super star Scott Denton. Scott has worked in the 3D modeling and animation industry for so many years he has a beard, that is also in 3D (at the time of writing). Contact Scott if you have an idea you would like to explore with 3D printing at Shapeways.

I am currently a Freelance Modeler/Generalist living in Brooklyn, NY. I hail from Nashville, TN and studied 3D animation at Full Sail University graduating with an Associates of Science in Computer Animation. I have worked in this industry now for 9 years and continue to learn from everyone I work with as well as developing skills to make me more valuable to current and new clients alike. I really enjoy working with new teams of creative people and having a fun time in the process.

My current passions are modeling in Zbrush and i’ve been doing a lot with 3d printing. I look forward to where 3d printing is going to take us in the future.

If you’ve spent some time on Shapeways, you’ve likely seen this weeks Designer for Hire’s work. Ryan Kittleson, an incredibly talented meme-making machine, although his talents do not stop there. Ryan is offering his services to the community!

Ryan Kittleson has been interested in combining art and technology from as far back as he can remember. He got interested in 3D modeling when he saw Jurassic Park and Toy Story as a teen in the 90s. Since then he has taught himself many digital animation and modeling tools and went to college to study traditional illustration. He earned a BFA in Illustration from East Carolina University and then went on to teach Character Modeling at Full Sail University in Orlando. He currently lives in Brooklyn, NY and creates 3D modeling courses on Lynda.com.

Ryan has been a prodigious freelancer and independent artist all along as well. He has made 3D models across the diverse fields of animation, games and fine art. His freelance work has been used in Disney World and Sea World, on national television like the Today Show and CNBC, in jewelry/fashion for Marie Claire and Neiman Marcus, and finally, sculpture for a variety of fine artists. With his passion for quality work, Ryan is ready to take on any artistic or technical challenge.

“Ryan has an knack for creativity and an eye for design and his work is one of a kind. He was a pleasure to work with, professional, listened to my ideas and added his own details and produced a quality product. I look forward to working with him in the future on new projects.” -Lela Rose

“Ryan’s 3D graphics and general art skills are simply amazing. He is also intuitive, intelligent and thoroughly enjoyable to work with – and has the capacity to think through your project and make suggestions that typically add to your your intended goal. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED – unless I need him at the same time!!!” -David Waksman

“Ryan is a pleasure to work with in all aspects. He is fully capable as a modeler and knows how to tackle any situation in a timely manner. His great attitude and knowledge make him a great asset to any team. I constantly look forward to working with and collaborating on any project.” -Scott Denton

This weeks Designer for Hire has spent the past six years pushing the boundaries of 3D print, and is here to share his knowledge with anyone looking to get their models printed. Though Eric van Straaten lives in the Netherlands, his colorful, lifelike 3D printed sculptures have been exhibited throughout the world—from Tokyo to Berlin to San Francisco.

Eric can help you create a 3D model from scratch or fix a model so it can successfully be 3D printed. An expert with colored (textured) modeling, Eric is experienced in retaining color information, which is sometimes lost during the model-fixing process. Contact Eric to help you make your ideas real.

Have a great idea for a 3D printed product but need some help getting it off the ground? Our Shapie Designers for Hire have a knack for helping people make their ideas real. So take advantage of them!

Today’s Designer for Hire is James Liang, of Sharpen 3D Solution. His shop is a 3D printing design firm that creates everything from simple shapes to spaceships, figurines, and prototypes. James and his team of experienced designers, artists, and printing technicians are accustomed to helping people at all skill levels whether you have a half-finished 3D file or just a sketch on a napkin.

Specialties: Modeling from as few as one single image and being able to extrapolate the entire 3D object or figure

“Sharpen 3D is a talented 3D modeling team. They helped me on several projects. They did excellent jobs. They are fast, reliable, and professional. I really like their artists. They are patient and smart. Every time, I tell them my idea, they can figure it out and deliver exactly what I want . Thank you Sharpen 3D, I will do more projects with you guys.” -Vijay, Sep 27, 2013

“I just had a custom 3D model completed by Sharpen 3D and it was very pleasant experience to work with this design company. I received a quality model in a mere few days and the final result looks just like I had pictured in my mind, not to mention this all for a very reasonable price. I was kept updated on the progress all the way and revisions were applied quickly and accurately without any extra charges. They truly listen to what you say. I would highly recommend this company to anyone who is looking for a quick, professional, and affordability…” -Moniek, Oct 11, 2013

If you have a project you want to 3D print but need some help creating a 3D printable file the Shapeways ‘Designers for Hire‘ are Shapeways community members with a proven record of making other peoples ideas real. Contact Dhemerae Ford to help you 3D print your designs.

Bio: I graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in digital art from New York University. Since 2010 I’ve been working with the Advanced Media Studio at NYU to assess, fix and create 3D printed works for a large variety of clients including surgeons, dentists, designers, artists, and engineers throughout the NYU community. My own work relies heavily on 3d-printing as well and so the majority of my experience comes from the models I make myself and have printed. I have hands on experience with a variety of printers (from lo-def to HD) including the Zcorp 650, Connex 500 by Stratysis, the Projet 7000, and even small RepRaps including the Makerbot and some printers that I’ve built myself. I’m adept at working with the specific limitations of a variety of printers and the modeling requirements to create great prints at efficient costs.

Services Offered: 3d modeling, file repair, and 3d scanning.

3D Modeling Specialties: I specialize in realistic and organic forms, from photos or sketches. However I do have experience in engineering.

“I have collaborated with Dhemerae on several projects and she has been an incredible pleasure to work with. Her knowledge of modeling is extensive but always specific, and her troubleshooting skills are truly off the charts because of this. Our last project was nothing but problematic, but she carried the project during this time, finding solution after solution to move us forward. Combined with her fresh creativity and keen sense of design, she is a truly well-rounded maker. Her models are skillfully rendered, her visual choices unique, and her sense of color is great fun!”

Ronnie Two:

“I had Dhemerae model something very specific for me and she blew my expectations out of the water. She was quick, efficient and really knew her stuff. She got it printed for me and even shipped it to my address going above and beyond what I had asked for in the first place. She works hard and really cares about the work she does, so you should definitely hire her to get your own work done.”

Haley Mellin:

“I hired Dhemerae to fix and add to a 3d scan I had done for an exhibition. I had a really tight deadline but she was able to finish the project in time and it looked great! It was all ready to print and we got the whole thing made and ready to ship in 5 days. She works really hard and really know her stuff.”

Pricing Structure: ie by the hour, by project (not $ amount) Contact Dhemerae to get a quote on your project.

BIO:I am a product designer working globally on a very diverse range of projects in the fields of product design, digital modeling and product visualization. I develop products and models in collaboration with individuals and companies worldwide. I strive to create a fluid, efficient communication in order to achieve the desired results.

Shapeways Designers for Hire are 3D modelers who have the skills to help others get their ideas in their hands with Shapeways 3D printing. This week, we are featuring design duo Kostika Spaho and Jarrett Mowatt of spahodesign who can 3D model anything, from realistic burgers to bird skull shoes, architectural maquettes to internet memes, no idea is beyond their CAD skills.

We see many requests come into Shapeways via email and forums for people needing help realizing their ideas with 3D printing. Sometimes they have a sketch, sometimes they have a photograph, sometimes they have a 3D model they have started but can’t get to the 3D printing stage. Shapeways Designers for Hire are 3D modelers who have the skills to help others get their ideas in their hands with Shapeways 3D printing.

Our third Designer for Hire, Dolf Veenvliet aka macouno is an artist with a long experience in generative modeling and 3d scripting.

We see many requests come into Shapeways via email and forums for people needing help realizing their ideas with 3D printing. Sometimes they have a sketch, sometimes they have a photograph, sometimes they have a 3D model they have started but can’t get to the 3D printing stage. Shapeways Designers for Hire are 3D modelers who have the skills to help others get their ideas in their hands with Shapeways 3D printing.

Our second Designer for Hire, Metin Seven aka sevensheaven is an experienced 3D designer and visualizer with a long professional track record.

We see many requests come into Shapeways via email and forums for people needing help realizing their ideas with 3D printing. Sometimes they have a sketch, sometimes they have a photograph, sometimes they have a 3D model they have started but can’t get to the 3D printing stage. Shapeways Designers for Hire are 3D modelers who have the skills to help others get their ideas in their hands with Shapeways 3D printing.

Our first Designer for Hire, Vijay Paul aka Dotsan is a 3D modeling superstar who is ready to help you realize your ideas with Shapeways 3D printing.

Bio: Dot San have been delivering 3D design services for over a decade. By delivering great client service and satisfaction we are proud of the reputation we created from our diverse projects and international clients. Dot San have been registered with Shapeways since 2009 and have empowered many people. Our client feedback, creativity and professionalism reflects our enthusiasm for diversity and challenge and we welcome any enquires no matter how weird.